2013-02-11 - Hell Hath No Fury: Hit and Run
There's been an explosion in the industrial district of San Francisco. A two story building is on fire, there is smoke and ash everywhere. And on the top floor, in the middle of an inferno, and old man screams for help. The locals are standing around in awe, and a man in a business suit simply walks away from the blaze to get into his car as if he has no concern in the world. In the meantime, the fire is raging, the firefighters can't put it out, nor can they reach the man inside. Fortunately enough, Supergirl was just getting done with one of the daily 'things to do' on her list - today, it was stopping a mutant rhino from tearing downtown San Francisco near the Presidio. As the army goes to contain the unconscious beast, Kara flies off to where she hears the old man screaming for help. A streak of blue blurs towards and into the fiery building. Once inside, she does a quick look around to see where the person in need is. Starfire is flying through the air, as she does so joining Kara on the ascent. She immediately takes flank over towards Supergirl, her body glowing then as she turns bright, flaring orange. She takes notice over of the man walking away so casually from the fire, memorizing his face. But now, deal with the emergency! She shoots towards the area, going to help evacuate the building if needed! The building does need to be evacuated and as Starfire helps with that, she overhears one of the firemen say that it looks like this was caused by an incindiary device. Basically, a bomb. In the meantime, the old man is lying on his side, a dirty overcoat covers his form from head to toe. There is a lot of smoke and the heat is unbearable...for a human, that is. A tuft of gray hair sticks out of the coat by the collar. The support beams of the building above him will give out at any moment. Kara Zor-El flies to scoop up the old man and out of the building, making sure her body is in a position to shield him from the flames and any walls they might need to go through until they're out of the building. She lands on the ground near the fire engines outside, by the ambulance to hand him off to one of the EMTs there. "I think he's had a lot of smoke inhalation." She looks over at the fire chief, saying, "The place is already empty - I'm going to put out the fire okay sir?" Starfire takes those still in the present on the ground towards the EMT's as she helps evacuate, then using her telescopic vision to sweep the immediate area then as she scans about. She keeps an eye, if she can, over towards the strange man who was going along so casually with her long range optics, to see if there is anything further unusual about! The old man coughs a bit and then says in a raspy voice. "Thank you for the save, Supergirl. But I'm afraid I can't allow you to do that." His hand grips her arm tightly as she begins to feel her power leave her. The old man morphs into none other than Parasite. He chuckles. "Mmmm. Kryptonian. My favorite." Before her very eyes, his body gains muscle mass as he turns towards the emergency vehicles and blasts them with heat vision. Meanwhile, Starfire does manage to help the EMT's get any other people out of the building, and the man in the suit seems to be driving towards the wharf rather fast. At this point, seeing Supergirl in the building, her body seeming to weaken, Starfire's attention snaps back. Like a Starbolt, she's slamming through the air at high speed. As fast as she can go towards this surprising adversary whom has appeared out of nowhere, growing bigger, and stronger. The heat flickering off her skin, her body glowing with collected energy, her going like a nova burst to try and slam over into his jaw with a powerful, potent uppercut if she can with all of her strength! "Titans always back one another up, fiend!" Kara Zor-El collapses to her knees when the 'old man' suddenly grabs her arm and starts siphoning off her power. Especially since she wasn't expecting it. Fortunately, Starfire hitting him that hard does give her enough time to try to pull herself away and out of distance to try to regather her faculties. Starfire's hit knocks Parasite away from Kara, releasing her from his grip. But the damage had already been done. He smiles. "That tickled." He states to the princess. "I admit though..I've always wondered what you tasted like, baby." He suddenly disappears, re-appearing behind Starfire. He attempts to grab her in a bear hug from behind and begin siphoning off her powers as well. Turning his head slightly, he aims a shot of heat vision towards the weakened Supergirl. Starfire is grabbed in a bear hug by Parasite, hissing as she's feeling herself be weakened. Digging her heels over into the ground as she feels her powers leaving her, she goes to JUMP. It is not a majestic thing. It is just launching herself, hopefully with Parasite in tow as she smashes her head up to try and wham to his forehead and her knee with all the force she can bother up and over to the middle of this thighs as she jumps, trying to clear the fight away from populated areas. Kara Zor-El dodges out of the way before she can get hit by the heat vision. "Only taste you're ever going to get, Parasite..." She hadnt ever come up against him before, but she learned enough about him from Superman to know that the trick to fighting him was to not let him touch you, let him use up the stored powers. If possible, use kryptonian weaknesses against him. Unfortunately there's no kryptonite around. Fortunately, heat vision is the power that uses kryptonian power stores more than any other ones. Supergirl flies up into the air and shoots her own heat vision back at Parasite. Unfortunately, ramming her head into Parasite's face isn't much of a useful tactic. Especially now that he has Kryptonian durability. However, he is forced to release her when Kara's heat vision strikes him. With a yelp, he reluctantly lets go. However, now that he's got some of Starfire's abilities, he begins to rain starbolts down onto them both as he floats up into the air. "Oh, I just love playing with you Titans." He cackles then as he takes in a deep breath and lets it out, attempting to freeze them both. Starfire scatters over and goes evasive then, trying to put some room between herself and Parasite as his Starbolts flicker through the air. The impacting freeze wave hits her, and her own body temperature rises then, her projecting flame about herself to try and counteract it, as much as she can, even as she spins hard and flies to try and make herself a better target! Kara Zor-El uses her heat vision as well - when extreme heat meets extreme cold - result is lots of steam. Supergirl then quickly flies straight down and spins until she drills a hole into the ground. Then the ground below Parasite shakes, then raises, then a whole bunch of pavement and earth comes up out of the ground, hitting into where Parasite is floating above it. Until she flips it over and slams it back down into the ground with Parasite beneath. Parasite was focused on getting a shot in on Starfire. If they would just freaking stay still, he could kill them a lot faster! However, when Kara's tactic with her heat vision causes steam and he looses sight of them both for a moment, he is surprised when sections of the pavement beneath him explodes. He throws a forearm up over his face to protect his eyes and is then smacked by a larger piece. It catapults him up into the air and slams him into the side of the burning building. "You'll have to do better than that, blondie." Is stated as he steps out, unharmed. "I have all your powers now. From both of you. You can't stop me. Not even Superman can stop me...and let's face it. You're nowhere as good as he is." Parasite rips a very large chunk out of the burning building and tosses it...towards the civilians who are still there watching this battle in awe. "Chew on that!" Starfire shoots through the air, firing her Starbolts in an immense arc over towards the flying building, trying to disintegrate it in midair then so it does not rain down over on the civilians. She's pumping more and more of her stored solar energy over into them, to make them more powerful than they usually are to try and prevent the civilians from being peppered over with debris and being crushed! Assuming she misses any with her blasting rain of bolts, she'll be trying to catch them, calling to the civilians, "Get to safety!" Leaving Parasite, for the moment, to Supergirl. As long as Starfire's already handled the burning building not hitting the civilians, Supergirl can focus more on Parasite. Though she has no real intention of saying anything about all the theories about her being more powerful or anything. Might as well let him think she's weaker than she really is. Might help tactically. "Well, I still have a little left obviously... If you want to have them all, come and get me?" Then takes off into the air higher up where Parasite can't use innocents to divert her attention. Parasite smirks. "As tempting as that is, precious...I think I'll take a rain check." He tilts his head to the side for a moment and then he simply superspeeds away. It could be that he was only a distraction...or maybe he never intended to kill them in the first place. And what was the deal with the man in the buisness suit? So many questions and no answers. Starfire's tactic does work and the civilians are pelted with small pebble like pieces of building instead of the large chunk that could have wiped them out. The retreating Parasite has Starfire scoping out at him with her telescopic vision at long range after she finishes with the civilians. At this point, she flies up into the air, panting heavily, and then using her vision to sweep the area for further casualties or damage. At that point.. Assuming there is no further emergency, she will attempt to use her abilities to sweep in the last known direction of that fleeing man. He cannot have gotten far, the melee has only gone for a few minutes.. As Parasite leaves the area, and San Francisco entirely, the man that Starfire noticed earlier is still speeding towards the wharf. If her sight allows her, she will see him reach the docks and continue driving. From the trajectory of his car, he's planning on driving off the edge of the pier itself. Starfire is gesturing to try and get Supergirl to come along with her. She has nothing on the man other than suspicion, which is why she does not intercept him. So, waiting several miles offshore, Starfire goes to try and follow the man over with her telescopic vision. She isn't sure who or what he is, nor if he has anything remotely to do with this other than being in a bad place at the wrong time, which is why she is not more direct. Kara Zor-El flies back down. Very weird that Parasite would do something totally uncharacteristic for his entire history and behavior to LEAVE a meal - especially a Kryptonian one. The powers won't even last that long without re-supply. Plus he's not exactly a tactical thinker - he's a power and life-sucking vampire that is ALWAYS hungry almost instinctually. Plus egotistical. His past plans with Superman have been stuff along the lines of 'drain him and keep him drained as a permanent, replenishing meal.' So... it's very weird. Kara flies down to where Starfire is. "I really didn't think he was going to flee like that." While the two heroines converse, Starfire and Kara if she decided to look, would notice that the man from earlier car is getting closer and closer to the edge of the pier that leads into the bay. And it doesn't show any signs of stopping. Meanwhile, Parasite is long gone. Out of character for him, perhaps, but who knows what's going through the mind of the villain at the moment. Starfire nods over at Supergirl, "Then someone was paying him very, very well. And someone was offering him evne more energy later." She knows that much about how villains operate. Her eyes scope over then as the man's car goes down the edge of the pier, "Can you sweep the area?" She's explained quickly the voice of her suspicions, and how little she had to go on. For all she knows this might be another fake out as well. Kara Zor-El looks around at the surrounding area with -her- telescopic vision instead. "I'm just saying, according to both my cousin and the Oracle Files, that guy normally should have chased after me like a dog going after a T-Bone. That's the right term right?" Actually look who she's asking for human similes. Kara looks around for the man's car. "Any ideas on what's going on?" The man's car speeds up even faster as it nears the edge of the pier. And when it gets to the end, it drives completely off of it. The car impacts the water hard and after a moment, it begins to sink. There is a yelp from Starfire, and she says softly, "Friend Supergirl, what is underneath the water now?" She holds herself from acting, just in case. And nods grimly over at Supergirl, "Yes, those are.. The right words. And for him to have not done so means.. He was given something far greater, to make him resist such a thing instead of being carried over with it." There are few villains who can either inspire such fear for such an unconscionable directive or afford such things. By the time Starfire is asking Kara that, she's already gone - a blue streak flying down into the bay and under the car. She lifts the car out of the bay, flying up and setting the car back down on the pier as she's looking inside it. Inside the car is a normal looking man in a business suit. He's not knocked out, but he's moaning something about being on fire and trying to put the fire out. As Kara inspects the car more closely, she catches the faint scent of plastic explosives coming off him, meaning that he must have handled them recently. And Starfire did see him leaving the building after it exploded. As Supergirl shoots forwards, Kara is followed by Starfire, her words moving too slow to be heard a she accompanies with a sonic boom through the air, "Friend Supergirl, I fear.." The next words would be left behind in the airspace she had said them in as the duo bolt forwards faster than sound, "It's a trap." if one had paid attention to them, left hanging several seconds behind. Kara Zor-El pulls the door off and checks the older man for injuries. Making sure first that it isn't another super-villain. Nope. Normal guy. Kara looks around. "If it's a trap I'm not sure what the point of it is." She looks back at the guy, listening to what he's moaning. "Is he hallucinating or something? Mind control? I dunno." The man is middle aged and as he opens his brown eyes and looks at Kara, he looks almost thankful. "Thank god, Supergirl. I was on fire and I couldn't put it out. I thought that if I drove into the water, I could put out the fire." There is no evidence of a fire or there ever having been one. Outside of the smell of explosives on him, he looks like your normal business type. And he looks terrified. He looks around. "What happened to me?" Starfire takes a breath, sweeping over the man, "It could be any of them." In her mind, this also helps narrow down the list of possibilities for who would have worked him over. her eyes sweep over Kara as well, looking for any signs of weakness. "It does not seem to be magic." Which, if her quick assumption is right, would narrow down further. Of those who could afford to pay off Parasite. Kara Zor-El frowns rubbing her head. "Mind control would also explain why Parasite wouldn't just be seeing me as an all you an eat buffet." She looks back at the disoriented man. "You're okay now... but what's the last thing you remember clearly?" The man brings a hand to his head and massages his temples. "I was in my office...and I..I don't remember. I remember getting into my car and then looking down at myself. I was on fire. Then I had the idea of driving to the pier and just..ending the pain." He looks a little confused, but that's his story. Starfire looks over at Kara, and nods, "Then who would have the capacity to mind control Parasite? Much less to use him for a mere distraction?" That doesn't quite fit the style of who, in her mind, would have been the chief suspect - Mister Luthor. She has a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. Kara Zor-El peers at the man. "Were you speaking to anyone in your office? Talk to someone on the phone? See something?" The man shakes his head. "No, nothing like that. I spoke with my secretary earlier, but she's been working for me for years." Seeing the smoke in his rear-view mirror, he turns his head from where the building was on fire. "Oh my god. That's my office. There are hundreds of people in there, please tell me who did this?" Starfire looks over at Kara, trusting her word then over on what to do with the man, and that he is telling the truth. She puckers up, looking as pretty and affectionate as she can, "Pretty please, if you can recall anything that might help us..!" Kara Zor-El looks at the man. "I think you did it. There's explosives residue on your hands. So I need to know EXACTLY what happened when you were in your office right up to the point you can't remember." The man looks at Kara with an expression of horror. "No..no. I couldn't have. I would never.." And he catches sight of Starfire and that smile of hers and his insides go all squishy and he blushes faintly before nodding and taking a breath. "I remember taking a phone call just before I decided to go out for lunch. I remember that the voice was male...oh..it was the parking lot attendant. He said that someone had dented my car and that I should come take a look at it. I was going there anyways, so I decided to take lunch earlier than normal. I took the elevator down to the parking garage and I saw a guy..and then a woman. I can't remember what the guy looks like. But the woman was beautiful..and asian. But I don't remember much else after that until I was driving and saw myself on fire." Starfire takes a breath and closes her eyes, "The woman.. Did she have anything green on her?" She's speaking slowly, trying to help the man relax some now as she rubs over at his shoulders then as Kara holds him up then and they try and continue to get more out of him. She has a bit of fear.. Not many 'asian' women would do something aimed at the Titans.. Kara Zor-El looks over at Starfire, "Seriously thinking it's mind control." She listens as Starfire asks about the 'green' costume question. Apparently Starfire has an inkling of who it might be. At least the woman, if no the man. So she lets Starfire do the questioning. The man shakes his head. "No. She wasn't wearing green. She was wearing red, I think. A red oriental type dress. She was gorgeous. At the time, I thought she was with the guy. He was in a trench coat, but considering the weather, that's not all that suspicious this time of year." Starfire's breath flashes. She looks over at Kara, and says one word then over that fills her with partial dread. "Jade." She takes a deep breath. The man looks pleadingly at Kara. "Can I go home now? My wife has probably seen this on tv. She'll think I died in there if I don't call her." He looks from Kara to Starfire and then back again. "I swear that's all I know. I don't remember anything after that." Kara Zor-El nods a little. "We'll take you to the hospital and have your family come meet you there, okay?" Starfire nods over at Supergirl, "Yes." She takes a breath, and looks sad, "I will talk to.. Friend Archer." This is going to hit Roy hard. The man looks relieved. "Thank you Starfire. Thank you Supergirl. Thank you for saving me." By now law enforcement have arrived and will take it from here once the two heroines explain what happened with the car and why it's full of water. But the Titans are in for a hell of a ride...